COOL AND CHIC

Wednesday

Jul 10, 2013 at 6:12 PM

Returned to blistering heat. Glad to have been on home soil for Independence Day, but with all the festivities over, wondering how to keep cool in the kitchen. And how to celebrate Bastille Day at the table. Have found a delicious salad made with fennel and lemon and olive oil. I know I’ve been over the top with fennel lately, but that licorice flavor tames heat. And no one else is buying it in the grocery store and few at the farmers’ market, so I get to choose the best bulbs.

This salad is neat because it give me a choice of a whole array of herbs that might taste good with it. I think dill or mint. I’ve been thinking about skipping herbs and using capers instead, giving it a nice salty taste. Or maybe shaking up the whole concept of a savory salad with a handful of raspberries and raspberry vinegar.

FENNEL SALAD WITH LEMON, OLIVE OIL, AND HERBS

2 medium bulbs fennel

juice of 1 lemon

extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

coarse sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

a handful of chopped fresh herbs, to taste

(Optionally, skip the herbs and add a handful of fresh raspberries)

Slice the fennel as thinly as possible. Arrange it in a thin layer on a platter.Squeeze a lemon half over the fennel; drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.Sprinkle the herbs over the top or scatter the raspberries.

lindabcooks

Returned to blistering heat. Glad to have been on home soil for Independence Day, but with all the festivities over, wondering how to keep cool in the kitchen. And how to celebrate Bastille Day at the table. Have found a delicious salad made with fennel and lemon and olive oil. I know I’ve been over the top with fennel lately, but that licorice flavor tames heat. And no one else is buying it in the grocery store and few at the farmers’ market, so I get to choose the best bulbs.

This salad is neat because it give me a choice of a whole array of herbs that might taste good with it. I think dill or mint. I’ve been thinking about skipping herbs and using capers instead, giving it a nice salty taste. Or maybe shaking up the whole concept of a savory salad with a handful of raspberries and raspberry vinegar.

FENNEL SALAD WITH LEMON, OLIVE OIL, AND HERBS

2 medium bulbs fennel

juice of 1 lemon

extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

coarse sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

a handful of chopped fresh herbs, to taste

(Optionally, skip the herbs and add a handful of fresh raspberries)

Slice the fennel as thinly as possible. Arrange it in a thin layer on a platter.
Squeeze a lemon half over the fennel; drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle the herbs over the top or scatter the raspberries.